Union Women

One of the central themes in this week's readings was the role that Union women played as supporters of the war effort and of being political activists. Nina Silber commented in her essay, "The Problem of Women's Patriotism" that the period of the Civil War suddenly thrust a special burden on women to be especially active in both politics and in other areas of support for the war. There lingered a negative stigmatism concerning the appropriate level of political involvement for women. The prevailing thought of the day was that the husband or man of the house was the political leader of the entire household and therefore dictated the political awareness of women. As women began to challenge this pervasive ideology during the civil war, many were cast as poisonous supporters of Democratic or Copperhead agendas and labeled as opponents to a Republican Union. However, women were unfairly condemned. An inspiring example was the Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton document. In this document, a challenge to all women is set forth to preserve freedom and democracy by making certain sacrifices and by devoting themselves to the cause of the Union. Stanton and Anthony used the example of Southern women and how they had committed themselves to the cause of the Confederacy so fervently because they had seen the horrors of war and were fully enveloped in its struggle. Northern women, on the other hand were more removed from the front lines and were therefore accused (sometimes fairly, sometimes not) of being frivolous amidst such a great struggle. The first document written by the President of the Detroit Ladies Aid Society also implored women to work hard to make whatever they could in whatever way they could to help their poor men fighting for them so far away. The documents and the essay by Sibler illustrate that Northern women stepped up to the challenge as bearers of Union strength and resolve although, as they broke down prevailing sexist ideas, they were too often misrepresented and attacked.